One run (again)

With the exception another fine starting pitching effort, there was not much to like about the Reds 2-1 loss to the Padres.

The Three Stars:

No. 3 star: Edinson Volquez, SD — 7 ip, 5 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 10 K, 127 pitches/79 strikes. Volquez had a whopping 57 pitches through two innings. It took him 15 pitches against Jay Bruce alone over the first and second innings (Bruce was batting when Wilson Valdez was thrown out in a rundown to end the first inning). But the Reds never capitalized enough on Volquez’s early jams and he only got stronger as the game went along. Volquez set a season high for strikeouts and a career-high in pitches thrown.

“He started getting ahead with the fastball,” Reds left fielder Chris Heisey said. “I’ve never seen him, since I played with him or watched him pitch, that he was commanding both of his breaking pitches at the bottom of the zone like he was tonight. When he does that, throwing 95 and then throwing an 83 mph changeup at the knees, which he did a bunch of times tonight especially to right-handers, he was on tonight for sure.”

No. 2 star: Everth Cabrera, SD — 1-for-4. It was Cabrera’s bases-loaded, no outs drive to the wall off of Sam LeCure in the ninth that provided the walk-off ending. It was ruled a single.

No. 1 star: Mat Latos — 7 ip, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K, 109 pitches/72 strikes. Latos deserved much better than this. Like his last two complete games, he was very effective and had command of the game. It was the Reds rotation’s eighth-straight quality start, but alas their third-straight loss while scoring only one run.

“The rotation, everyone, has been pitching real well. It’s baseball,” Latos said. “I went out there in Cleveland and gave up seven runs and the team scored seven runs to back me up. Today was a grind offensively and defensively and pitching. Things didn’t go our way today.”

News and notes:

*The Reds lineup is 16-for-94 (.170) over the last three games.

*Dusty Baker was ticked off about a lack of execution when it counted in the game. Twice with a runner on third and less than two outs, the Reds didn’t score. Brandon Phillips was picked off of first base in the ninth inning of a 1-1 game.

“You can’t win close games doing the things that we did tonight,” Baker said.

Quotes:

“All year, it’s been haunting us – runners on third, less than two outs. It really haunted again with us today. We just have to get better with runners in scoring position. What happens is you keep them in the ballgame. You keep them close to where a solo home run ties it up. It shouldn’t have gotten that far to even matter.” — Dusty Baker

“He’s a good pitcher, we know what he had when he was here. He’s got great stuff. As far as that goes, it was like facing naybody else. You know you gotta go out and try to capitalize off any mistakes he may make. He did a really good job, good command of his stuff, fastball, offspeed. But we’re just trying to keep the ball rolling, so whoever goes out there, we’re just gonna try to compete hard, try to keep it going.” — Padres CF Cameron Maybin on Latos

Is there anyone in “ALL” of major league baseball, on a day in and day out basis, that is dumber, or more lazy, than Brandon Phillips? He is a very good player, but again last night, he costs our team by not paying attention to the game. Right before his bonehead play off first, the camera showed him off the base, his back to the pitcher , and running his mouth at someone off screen. Does anyone have the guts to ever talk with him about his antics and lack of hustle? Probably not. Obviously, he is a defensive wizard; but with the money he is paid–he should play with his head out of his *** all the time–not just most of the time.

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